IT Restructure: suggestions and alternative proposals

Comments

I’m very concerned that the level of front-line IT support offered to students and staff shall diminish significantly as a result of User support Technicians who currently work on both the ITS service desk and Tech smart help desks in both Holloway and Calcutta having their posts deleted and being replaced with 12 X 0.3 FTE student ‘Met temps’ being employed 2 pay grades lower and term time only!

The current User Support Technicians have a wealth of experience and knowledge and are dedicated to providing 1st line support to both Students and staff and I feel that the removal of the service desk and introduction of ‘Met temps’ on our Tech smart help desks from October is only going to result in a very poor level of 1st line ICT support for both students and staff! Are the 12 fractional term-time only ‘Tech Smart’ assistants being employed on PSG2 from October 1st really going to show the same level of dedication and professionalism as our current full-time User Support Technicians who are employed all year round? Also, what happens when these students have exams and assignment deadlines to meet, are they going to be able to commit to working all of their contracted hours at the most busy times during the next academic year?

This is just another example of how management are casualising our workforce at London Met, whereby, in my opinion, the risk of a breakdown in being able to provide a viable 1st line of ICT support at peak times in the academic calendar are huge!